Though the muscle car era was commenced by Pontiac GTO, it did not take Dodge too long to pull up their socks and invade the market with an alternative of their own. Dodge's muscle cars had better engines than their competitors and yet they lacked sales since their designs did not prove to be appealing enough to the car buyers. The designing of the 1966 Dodge Charger as competition to Pontiac and Buick muscle cars began a year before its release. After a positive response from the press and visitors at various automobile shows where the idea of the 1966 Dodge Charger was first introduced, Dodge commenced production and released the car in 1966.

Designed by Carl 'CAM'' Cameron, the 1966 Dodge Charger would soon prove to be Dodge's first big foray into the muscle car market. The 1966 Charger, introduced on January 1, 1966, soon earned the reputation of becoming the 'Leader of the Dodge Rebellion'.With a high performance engine and an attractive outer frame, the 1966 Dodge Charger stormed the muscle car market and remained on the top for a long time. Among its distinctive features was the 'electric shaver' grille and fully rotating headlights. With a powerful V8 engine, the 1966 Charger also came equipped with four bucket seats, forward folded console pad, trunk divider dropper back and a spacious cargo hold.

Dodge also installed a small lip spoiler on the trunk lid improving traction at speeds above 150 mph. The total production of the 1966 Dodge Charger was approximately 37,344 units, a successful number then. The 1966 Dodge Charger became the first US produced vehicle on to win the NASCAR Grand National championship in 1966; during the race it was driven by David Pearson. Due to the 1966 Charger's enormous success, only limited modifications were made in the 1967 Charger. The most distinctive alteration was introduction of the new fender-mounted turn signals.